plus ONE Story

Long before Plus One's 143/Atlantic Records debut, The Promise, was in the can, or before one note of their music had been heard on a radio station, a veritable "who's who" of pop music insiders was eager to work with these five talented young men.

Not that Plus One is looking to ride on coattails to fame. They've just learned early-on what too many artists take an entire career to discover that success, of any kind, is never a simple function of individual effort, but is first and always a product of collaboration. Plus One realized that no one succeeds alone-in life, in music, and certainly not in faith-and therefore the quality of their success would depend on the kind of people they surrounded themselves with. So, from the beginning, they've sought nothing but the best, including co-producer of The Promise, 143 Records CEO and 14-time Grammy Award winning songwriter and producer David Foster (Celine Dion, Faith Hill, Toni Braxton).

Plus One began to take shape as early as 1998, when 18-year-old Sacramento, California-boy Nate Cole was joined by 21-year-old Gabe Combs of Pittsburgh, California; 22-year-old Nathan Walters of Lakeland, Florida; and the 19-year-old Jeremy Mhire, who had been engrossed in vocal studies as a junior on full scholarship to Southwest Missouri State University. In a pattern of chance and happy accidents, suggesting a bit of destiny at play, Cole and Combs had known each other from mutual music circles while growing up in Northern California and Nathan had initially heard about the new group through an acquaintance of Nate’s. The group came to complete fruition with the arrival of Jason, who, up to that moment, had been focusing on his role as starting fullback and defensive end for his high school football team. The youngest member of the team, Perry celebrated his 18th birthday on June 1st and graduated as a member of the Class of 2000 in Madison, Indiana on June 4th.

By June of 1999, the guys were living together in a crowded San Francisco apartment, so tight in fact, that Gabe was forced to sleep in a walk-in closet. Among the many positives that emerged from the spontaneous bonding that came in the wake of their Real World-styled homemaking was the discovery that Jason makes a mean grilled cheese sandwich.

If, as the saying goes, we are known by the company we keep, Plus One already has a brilliant reputation.

"Guys with good voices are a dime a dozen in LA," says Florida native Nathan Walters, the oldest member of Plus One . "But chemistry… that's another story. Plus One works because we are not just five guys singing next to each other-we've worked our socks off from the beginning to connect, to click."

"Exactly," adds Sacramento native Nate Cole. "We have to become more than just five good singers. Our job is to become one great group, to find that path through hard work and lots of time together to those moments when we're genuinely together when we sing."

To reach that goal, the guys have committed to nearly a year of non-stop preparation, rehearsing, researching, recording, serving, praying and even living together. Since then, their life has become a veritable mobile college dorm-first in San Francisco, then LA, and now in Nashville-except that no one ever gets to cut class, they don't get weekends off, and when they jump on a plane to Nashville for the weekend, it's not for Spring Break. This fall, when everyone will be heading back to school, these five guys will be heading off to a different kind of classroom-a 60-city tour with Myrrh Records/Sony Discos artist Jaci Velasquez.

"I knew making this record would be hard work," says Gabe Combs, Plus One's instrumental and songwriting Renaissance man, "As we got into this, we realized that what we were doing-what we had been called together to do-would take everything we have. I guess that's why we know it's worth doing."

In the process, the guys have learned to play off each other's strengths, and balance each other's weaknesses, as they worked together to grow as a group and as men.

"In some ways we're very different," adds Jeremy Mhire, of Springfield, MO. "but it's our differences that make us interesting-as friends and as a group. I'm learning how we each bring something special to everything we do, and that it's the ways we differ that allows us to be more than just ordinary."

The connection-and commitment-between the guys is clear on The Promise. There's a playfulness and attentiveness in Plus One's vocal interplay that simply can't be manufactured in a studio. Songs like "My Life," with its funky backbeat, and the first single, "Written On My Heart," showcase the group's intricate harmonies and youthful take on life.

"These guys really hear each other, really listen to each other when they sing," says producer David Foster, who signed the group to 143 Records/Atlantic Records literally days after their first auditions. "Individually, they're all incredibly talented, but they've learned that as vocalists, they're even better together. There's wisdom there."

There's more to a band than just camaraderie. There has to be substance to the songs to justify the audience's time. Plus One knew this too, and set out from their first moment together on a dual quest to find the perfect songs and to stretch themselves as people.

For this reason the songs on Plus One's debut, (eventually culled from a roster of a who's who list of songwriters including Phil Sillas, Stephanie Lewis, Dan Muckala, Ty Lacey, Eric Foster White and Reed Vertelney), cover the gamut of everything that you might expect from a bunch of friends at the edge of adulthood. Songs full of fun and romance, hopes, dreams and the highest yearnings and ambitions find their way on the disc. There are songs about friendship and faithfulness, like "My Friend," and mostly, there are songs such as "Run to You" and the melodic title cut, "The Promise," that get to the heart of the matter for the guys-their faith in God.

Plus One even adds their own songwriting chops to the mix, with "Be," a cut that reflects the constancy of friendship and God's love. Written by Nate Cole, Gabe Combs and Nathan Walters, along with veterans Ty Lacey, Bradley Spalter and Michael Norfleet, the ballad is the first collective songwriting contribution, showing the promise of things to come.

But for all the care given to the sound of The Promise, more has been taken with the collaborative project that was the integrity of the guys themselves. From the first day of rehearsals, they made a commitment to be marked as much by service as by sound. While in San Francisco, the guys volunteered a couple of times a week at a center for homeless families. And last September, they began an ongoing partnership with Habitat for Humanity, participating in a week-long, 20-house "racial reconciliation" blitz build in Selma, Ala., where they worked side-by-side with veterans of that city's civil rights movement.

"That experience put some things in perspective for us," says Nate. "Seeing the need right here in America-and experiencing how we could help-that was amazing."

"Working next to people who worked with Dr. King, people who sacrificed so much for their freedom or the freedom of others… it was overwhelming," adds Gabe.

The work with Habitat is part of an intentional strategy on the part of the band to expand their experience and their vision of ministry.
"Anyone can sing about God," says Jason Perry, the youngest member of the group at age 17, "but we knew that until we had something to say with our lives, our songs would be empty."

"We are so committed to sharing our faith in our music," offers Jeremy, "but our faith tells us that it's better to love our neighbor than lecture them. If you listen more than you speak, you can get a lot done sometimes. The main thing is that you don't have to preach-just show love, acceptance and tolerance. Our audiences have heard all about Jesus-what they really need is to see him."

"That's really what Plus One is about," adds Nate. "The 'One' in our name-the One who more than just us, more than our songwriters and even our producers-our prayer is that anyone who pays attention to anything we do, be it our music or our lives, will know exactly who that is.

The Nashville-based vocal quintet completed sessions for “THE PROMISE,” their debut 2000 album (and the first joint venture from Atlantic Records’ Christian Division with the celebrated 143 Records). Less than a year later, the album – fast approaching the RIAA gold mark – was the best-selling artist project in the year 2000 for the CBA market, as well as setting a debut week record for most units sold by a new Contemporary Christian artist.

Recorded in locales from New Jersey to Los Angeles to San Francisco, Boston to Santa Monica and Nashville, “THE PROMISE” saw the quintet working in the studio with 143 chief David Foster. In addition to his keyboard contributions, the 14-time Grammy Award-winning producer helmed sessions for the rich, flamenco-flavored “God Is In This Place,” the heartfelt, tender “The Promise,” and the stirring “My Friend,” in addition to co-producing the soaring “Last Flight Out.”

Throughout “THE PROMISE,” the guys touch on topics of friendship, love, and their faith in God through such tracks as the dynamic, rhythmic “My Life,” warm, melodic “Soul Tattoo,” and the high-flying #1 CCM singles “God Is In This Place” and “Written On My Heart.” The album also reveals the promise of a fast-emerging artistic collective with the songwriting contributions of Walters, Combs, and Cole on the cool, R&B fueled “Be.”

The combination of elements proved their power straight away, with “THE PROMISE” debuting last May at #1 on the Soundscan Christian music chart, coming in with a record new artist sales tally and coinciding with a #76 entry on the Billboard 200. The single, “Written On My Heart,” kept the success rolling with remarkable #1 runs at Christian CHR and AC outlets – not to mention the song’s companion video scoring #1 most-requested status on the Disney Channel. “Last Flight Out,” the group’s first single serviced to mainstream radio outlets, helped introduce the music of Plus One to a wide new audience, hitting top 5 at Radio Disney in the process – in addition to #1 requests at Disney TV and a popular reception at Nickelodeon for the track’s companion video.

Plus One’s success has not come without recognition. In fact, the group was nominated for five 2000 Dove Awards, including New Artist of The Year and Group of The Year, along with a Pop/Contemporary Album of The Year nomination for “THE PROMISE,” and they walked away with the New Artist of the Year award for 2001.

The summer of 2000 continued to supply moments for the highlights reel, notably their contribution of the previously unreleased “With All Your Heart” to Atlantic’s hit Pokémon 2000 The Power of One soundtrack and a small-screen cameo on the ever-sudsy Days Of Our Lives. The year also included appearances on such top television programs as Zoog Disney, Access Hollywood, and Nickelodeon Slime Time Live, in addition to a feature story on CNN’s Showbiz Today. On Christmas Eve, the boys performed a unique duet version of “Grown Up Christmas List” with the multi-platinum-selling Monica on ABC-TV’s ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas holiday special – which also included such guest as 98º and Jessica Simpson.

In other news, Plus One can now be heard singing “Written On My Heart” on the RIAA platinum-certified “WOW 2001” top Christian hits compilation and “I Need A Miracle” on the soundtrack to the new major motion picture, Left Behind (based on the best-selling novel by Tim F. LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins). This February, the quintet pack their bags for a nearly month-long Southeast Asian promotional tour, with dates in the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia.

This spring, Plus One was featured – along with a host of Atlantic Group labelmates – on Teensation: A Pop Music Experience. Taped before a high-energy audience of 3,000 at Hard Rock Live in Orlando, Florida, the concert was packaged into two distinct live music specials, airing on cable television in March. The programs coincided with the launch of the group’s most extensive and highly anticipated nationwide tour to date – and first full North American itinerary since opening for the renowned Jaci Velasquez last fall.

Unfailingly, the constant flood of kudos and good news continues to generate new heat at the already hit-heavy www.plusoneonline.com official website. Of course, this adds up to long nights of typing e-mail responses to fans – but none of the five are complaining!

Early last year, Plus One launched a North American promotional tour with a performance at Hershey Park in Hershey, Pennsylvania, a trek that included an array of in-store appearances and a concert at Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium. After initially gathering in ’99 to begin the San Francisco sessions, the guys began volunteering at the St. Joseph’s Village, a shelter for homeless families. Their dedication to service continued that fall when Plus One forged an ongoing partnership with Habitat for Humanity by participating in a week-long, 20-house building blitz in historic Selma, Alabama, where they worked side-by-side with veterans of that city’s civil rights movement.

“That experience put some things in perspective for us,” says Nate. “Seeing that kind of need right here in America and being able to make a personal contribution experiencing how we could help-that was amazing.” “Working next to people who worked with Dr. King, people who sacrificed so much… it was overwhelming,” adds Gabe.